


Nightmares

by RockyRants



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Brief mention of Fish, Cuddles, Fluff, M/M, Nygmobblepot, Oswald has nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-09-15 11:21:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9232802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RockyRants/pseuds/RockyRants
Summary: “Human contact before going to sleep helps release oxytocin in the brain. It helps to aid in sleep, reduce the chance of nightmares, and helps to alleviate pain.”Ed's no expert on nightmares, but he does his best to help Oswald when he has them.





	

Often times they say that dreams are just replayed memories. You can’t dream of a face you haven’t seen. You can’t come up with a situation that hasn’t already happened. Oswald hated this fact about dreams.    

“How could you betray your mother?” That’s what Fish had said before breaking his knee. The image of Fish standing over him morphed suddenly to that of his own mother. Blood dripping from her back.    

“How could you betray your own mother?” The image wailed at him, swinging the leg of the chair. Another searing rush of pain. Then the image changed again as the beating stopped for just a moment. Oz caught his breath and looked up to see the face of his Chief of Staff.   Ed stood over Oswald, chest heaving and a crazed look in his eye. Pure hatred and fury.

Oswald did his best to back up, hand out and above him in an attempt to protect himself.   “Ed-”  

“You did this.” A swing of the chair leg, more pain, “You coward.” Another swing, this time to Oswald’s arm. He was desperately trying to get away when he backed himself into a wall.  

“Ed, Don’t- don’t do this.” He begged, feeling nothing but pain radiating from every part of his body.   

“You betrayed me.” One more swing, this time to his head.

   Oswald woke up screaming. His leg felt like it was twisted up like a knot, sweat dotted his brow making his bangs stick to his forehead. His hands gripped the sheets as his heart hammered in his chest. Small noises of pain echoed in his throat as he pushed the sheets off of his body. A trembling hand reached out to touch his knee. Even the lightest touch made it feel like it was on fire.  

Usually he kept the joint wrapped tightly with bandages. Eventually it would numb itself out, making it easier to walk, but not when he slept. Taking a deep breath he did his best to push himself out of bed, but fell back onto it with a gasp of pain. He didn’t even hear the door to his room open.  

“You shouldn’t do that.” Ed said, standing there watching Oswald struggle to get out of bed.   

“Ed!” Oswald jumped, pushing himself back on the bed as the images from his nightmare echoed in his mind. The sudden movement jostled his knee too much, causing him to grimace. He pulled the sheets back over him.   

“I heard screaming. You’re sweating. Are you alright?” Ed walked more into the room, causing Oswald to press himself up against the headboard, hand held out in front of him again. Ed stopped in his tracks, tilting his head to look at Oswald, “Your hand is shaking.”  

“I’m f-f-” Oswald cursed himself for being unable to answer. He took a deep breath, “I am fine, Edward.” He said after a minute of struggling.   

“You’re a really bad liar when you’re tired, Oswald.” Ed walked further into the room, pushing his glassed up more on his nose, “So what was it? A nightmare? I mean given your reaction, the tension in your neck, the rate at which your breathing, the shaking- Must have been a bad one.”

  “I told you, Ed, I am fine.” Oz said, lowering his hand as the man sat on the bed, “I was just getting- getting my bandages. For my leg. Night pains. You can return to bed.” He kept his sentences short. Easier to speak that way.

  “I’ll get them for you.” Ed said, pushing up from the bed.

  “What? No.” Oswald tried to get up from bed again, “I’m-” The moment Oswald put too much pressure on his leg he fell back onto the bed. Ed had stopped to watch Oswald. He moved back to him and gently eased Oswald onto his back. He reached over the smaller man to grab a pillow off the other side of the bed.

  “I’m just going to prop your knee up for now. I’ll try to be gentle.” He took Oswald’s hand and placed it on his own shoulder, “You can squeeze if the pain starts back up.” He said, shifting his leg. Oswald hissed and grabbed Ed’s shoulder tightly. It was quick, but even as the pain ebbed back into a steady pulse, Oswald still found himself holding onto Ed’s shoulder, “Better?” Ed said after a long moment. Oz quickly retracted his hand.

“Yes.”   

“You really shouldn’t bandage that at night. It’ll kill the nerves.”

  “That’s the point, Ed.” Oswald grumbled, avoiding looking at his Chief of Staff. If there were no nerves left in his damn knee maybe he could walk properly again. Oswald was highly aware of the fact that Ed was still sitting on his bed. So close. His hands were still shaking as the images of his nightmare were still fresh in his mind. Ed lifted his hand and Oswald flinched. Ed pulled his hand away.   

“I’m just checking your pulse, Oz.” He said gently, moving to place his fingertips against Oswald’s neck, just below his jaw. He looked at his watch, timing the pulse. Oswald found himself leaning more into the other’s touch, no matter how small it was, “You have an elevated heart beat still. Could be causing your leg to hurt more than usual. Is this normal for your nightmares?”  

“I do not get nightmares, Edward.” Oswald said, trying to sound firm. His voice came out weak. he turned his head away from Ed.

  “Everyone gets nightmares.” Ed moved into his field of vision, “Oswald,” He moved his head gently back so that the mayor could see him, “What happened?”   Oswald’s mind was racing. He could just shoo Edward away, toss and turn all night until he eventually fell back asleep. He could yell at him. After all, no one ever checked on him when he had nightmares. Then again…

  “Fish.” He said quietly, “Just… Memories. Bad memories. Just-” he swallowed, pulling his face back from Ed’s gentle touch, “Bad memories.” The silence that permitted the room felt heavy and thick, “If anything it should be considered a dream of clarity. That I should be destined to be alone. Lest I hurt more that are close to me.” He glanced to his Chief of Staff, “You should go back to bed.”

  “I can stay if you want me to.” Ed said quickly, “I mean… only if you’d like me to. I remember that you- when you have nightmares you don’t sleep so easily afterwards.”   

“You don’t have to.” Oz said quickly.   Ed stood up from the bed and began walking away from it. Oswald thought that he was leaving the room and let out a small breath before Ed turned and merely walked around the bed to the other side. He took off his glasses and set them on the bedside table.   “What are you doing?” Oswald squeaked out. Ed stopped on the other side, holding up an edge of the duvet.  

“It’s not obvious?”  

“I told you to go back to bed.”   

“I am.” Ed sat down on the bed and scooted closer to Oswald, “Come here.”   

“What are you doing?”  

Ed sighed, “Human contact before going to sleep helps release oxytocin in the brain. It helps to aid in sleep, reduce the chance of nightmares, and helps to alleviate pain.” He swallowed, “Just- just come here.” Ed managed to scoot closer to Oswald, helping him lay down in a more comfortable position. Ed took his hand and Oswald froze, “You know this is only going to work if you relax.” He said, rubbing the back of the man’s hand gently with his thumb, “Fun Fact, did you know that otters hold each other’s hands when they sleep so they don’t float away?”   

“Fascinating.” Oswald’s voice was dry and tight. His body anything but relaxed. Ed sighed and scooted closer.  

“Hold on.” He sat up, adjusting the pillow beneath Oswald’s knee before scooping him closer, “You can put your head on my chest if you want.”  

“Why would I-”

  “Just do it.” Ed said quietly. Oswald swallowed and moved his head to rest on Ed’s chest. He could hear his heart beating against his ear. With every beat, Oswald could feel his own breath come back and his body relax.   

“Hey.” Ed said after a long moment of silence, “What has four legs, is full of cement and howls at the moon?”   

Oswald sighed, “I don’t know, Ed.”

  “A wolf. I put the cement in to make it harder.” He beamed a smile at Oswald. The crime lord shook his head and pressed it against the man’s chest.  

“That’s really a dreadful riddle.” He chuckled.

  “I know, but it made you smile for the first time since I came into your room.” Ed pointed out. Oswald let his head rest back on the man’s chest. They sat in silence, the only sound in the room that Oz could hear was the steady beat of Ed’s heart.

  “Ed?” He asked after a long while.  

“Yeah?”  

“…Could you ever hate me?” He swallowed, laying perfectly still to the point that his entire body tensed up in anticipation.   There was another long pause as Ed mulled over an answer. He finally moved to kiss Oswald’s head gently. Oswald blushed deeply, thanking any god that existed that his lights were off.  

“No.” He said quietly, “No, I could never hate you.” He put a hand on the other’s back and rubbed it gently. Oswald let out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding, relaxing finally, “How’s your leg?” He whispered.

  “It doesn’t hurt so much anymore.” Oswald smiled gently, listening to the steady beat of Ed’s heart.

  “Good.”   

Oswald pushed himself up a bit more,“Ed?”

  “Yeah?”

  Oswald leaned over to kiss Ed’s cheek, “Thank you… For- For taking care of me.”   Ed turned to face the other and pulled him into a gentle kiss. Oswald’s eyes went wide for a moment before sliding closed. Ed pulled back first, pressing his head against Oswald’s.   

“I’ll always take care of you. I told you, Oz, You can always count on me.” He smiled. Oswald stole another small kiss before returning his head back to Ed’s chest.    Slept came easy after that.

**Author's Note:**

> Please give me any feedback you can think of! I want to work to get better and write more for this fandom.


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